Newsroom
Louisiana’s Medicaid program provides life-sustaining health coverage to millions of people with low incomes, and essential financial protection from debilitating medical expenses. The program was critical to helping Louisiana families through the health and financial challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. … Read more...
Executive budget is a good beginning
Louisiana’s financial picture is in surprisingly strong shape after the economic and social upheaval of the Covid-19 pandemic. Gov. John Bel Edwards’ 2023-24 executive budget is a responsible proposal that would make much-needed investments in public education and services for the state’s most vulnerable children, while reaffirming Louisiana’s commitment to building up its financial reserves for an inevitable rainy day. … Read more...
Louisianans have returned to work in record numbers since the depths of the pandemic, and the state’s unemployment rate is hovering at record lows. But far too many of the available jobs don’t pay enough to support a family, as low-wage industries are expanding while many high-paying sectors are shrinking. … Read more...
Louisiana had the nation’s highest poverty rate in 2021, and the state’s economy continued to reflect deep racial disparities. Child poverty remained stubbornly entrenched, and median household income fell.
But the state’s uninsured rate fell to a record low, and so did the rate of economic hardship when the effects of federal and state safety-net programs are taken into account. … Read more...